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Messages - Publius

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31
I don't believe it's going to be split into 3 books. I think that when Tor makes their announcement there going to say that the book will be split and will have a different name other than A Memory of Light.  That's it, maybe they'll give a release date for the other half of the book maybe not. 

Consider where all this information came from; a Swedish website, so I'm assuming it's a Swedish publisher too.  I researched how the Swedish economy has been doing recently and I found this article about 4-weeks old.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a3664322-04c5-11de-8166-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

Here's a little blurb in case you find economics boring.

Quote
“Today’s national accounts confirmed the Swedish economy is falling off a cliff,” said Nicola Mai, economist at JP Morgan, in a research note. “The report confirms Sweden is in the midst of a very deep recession.”

I don't live in Sweden so I don't know how accurate that article is, but I'll take it at face value and say their economy is struggling.

I think it's the Swedish publishers who are planning on a paperback release, and splitting the book in three.  If their economy is doing that bad then there may not be a market for an expensive hardcover fantasy novel.  That's why they want to make it as cheap as possible.

Overall, I think in the US we'll get the hardcover and the novel split once.  Also regarding the  artwork, I'm not sure if "The Gathering Storm" is going to be the title for the next book.  That could be a generic name used for a trial cover.

32
Books / Re: The Malazan Book of the Fallen Thread
« on: March 22, 2009, 01:20:58 PM »
I had to take some time off of work and leave town for a while because of family reasons, and while away I picked up and read Plum Island by Nelson DeMille.  Awesome book by the way, John Corey is now one of my favorite characters. 

Anyways, I picked up Deadhouse Gates again and I'm really starting to enjoy it.  I was initially frustrated with the book when I found out that it was all new characters and that I wouldn't be reading about the characters from Gardens of the Moon. 

I'm about 300 pages in and I can't wait to start reading it tonight.  Right now my favorite characters are Baudin and Fiddler.  Out of curiosity does Baudin become more of a major character or is he a minor character?  I hope he becomes a major character because he seems like a bad-a**.  However, I could also see him being killed by Felisin too.  By the way I can't stand Felisin!!  Hope she gets what she deserves!!

33
The quickest and easiest way to devein shrimp:

Start with a non-serrated paring knife.  Hold it upside down so the blade is facing up.  Place the tip of the knife under the shrimps shell and slide the knife down the shrimps back till you reach the tail.  Run the shrimp under running water while your removing the shell.  If you did it right by the time the shell is off the running water will have removed the vein for you.

The best way to cook shrimp

When I tell people this recipe they're always disappointed because I'm a Chef and they want something complicated.  You can make it complicated if you want, but my tastes are rather simple.

Hold the shrimp and paring knife like you did when you deveined it except hold the knife like you normally would.  Cut along the back of the shrimp again except this time cut from the tail to the front.  Not to deep though.  Set the knife to the side, and press down on the back of the shrimp with your thumb until it splits in half and the sides are laying flat.  Congratulations you just butterflied your shrimp.  Place on a sheet tray cover with clarified butter, season w/ Salt and Pepper.  Bake in a Preheated Oven at 350 degrees for 3-4 minutes.  Shrimp cooks VERY fast this way so keep an eye on it.

If you cooked it right the shrimp will melt in your mouth!!

Crab Stuffed Shrimp with Orange Hollandaise

If your trying to impress someone you can alter it just a bit.  It's still super easy, but it has great plate presentation!! 

Buy some Crab meat (NOT imitation!  You can't impress anyone with imitation crab meat!)  Place a little crab meat on the back of the shrimp and bake.  Cooking time will very depending on the size of shrimp and amount of crab meat you place on it, but probably between 4-6 minutes.

Buy a good Hollandaise Sauce packet.  Make the Hollandaise sauce and add freshly squeezed Orange juice to it till it gets to the taste you desire.  If you want to make fresh Hollandaise I can tell you how to make a great one, but it's a pain in the butt from start to finish.  You can't save fresh hollandaise either because if you keep it too warm the eggs scramble, and if you keep it too cold the butter solidifies.  So I recommend the packets for home cooking.

Place the Crab-Stuffed Shrimp on a plate and spoon the Orange Hollandaise over each one.  Sprinkle some Paprika over top for color and serve with Rice Pilaf and Sauteed Asparagus Spears.

There you go, fine dining in your own house!!  If you try any of these ideas let me know what you think...

34
Everything Else / Re: Interesting stuff found on the Internet
« on: February 28, 2009, 12:35:51 AM »
I received two videos in my e-mail this morning.  Talk about starting my day off right these were hilarious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygtBxhFc24A

The second video was equally as funny; however, it contained repeated use of the f-word.  So I didn't think it would be appropriate to post here.

[Originally misplaced on the Disturbing thread; so I split the post.  My apologies for the inconvenience - Jade Knight]

35
Books / Re: A business question about publishing…
« on: February 27, 2009, 02:02:19 PM »
While reading Deadhouse Gates I was looking at the map looking for a place called SkullCap.  This is where I'm introduced to a lot of new characters, and I noticed that it wasn't marked on the map.  So that's the origin to my question about maps.

The author writes the novels and someone else draws the map. I've  read that the author has little to say about the covers, but what about the maps?  Do they get to pick who draws the maps?  Does the author get 100% approval or disapproval over the map?  Does the illustrator place the city names on the map, or does the author do that?  And finally, is the map generally the last thing done or the first thing done?


36
Books / Re: The Malazan Book of the Fallen Thread
« on: February 27, 2009, 01:50:05 PM »
I didn't start enjoying Gardens of the Moon until well over 1/2 way through the book.  Right now I'm on page 107 in Deadhouse Gates, and I'm struggling to pick this book back up.  Actually, the only reason I'm still reading this series is because Bookstore assured me a longtime ago the the ending to books 2 and 3 is so good they will leave me numb.  Perhaps my expectations were set too high because I still don't see what everyone is raving about.  I do plan on reading up until at least Memories of Ice before deciding whether to continue reading the series or not, but right now that looks like an awfully steep mountain to climb.

Here's my problems with the series so far.  Remember I'm only 100 pages into the second book. 

1)  I'm introduced to so many characters so fast that I have a hard time caring about them

2)  Not enough detail in the characters.  I just found out in the 2nd book that Kalam was black maybe I missed that detail in the first book, but if I did he mentioned it only once.  Sorry from what I remember is described as being "pleasing to the eye". WhiskeyJack is described as being older.  If I missed these descriptions then it's only because the author glossed over them.  In my mind WhiskeyJack looks just like Druss from David Gemmells novel Legend.

3)  So far everyone who dies comes back to life in one form or another.  This makes it even harder for me to care about the characters because I am not concerned with their safety anymore. 

4)  Up until now I'm very unimpressed with his battle scenes.  In GotM, he builds up builds up, and builds up to two battles near the end of the book, and he finishes them off in a couple keystrokes.  Then everyone moves on like nothing happened.

5)  Everyone seems to be in the right place at the right time with the right equipment. 

I really do want to like this series, but these are some of the things I'm struggling with.  Here's another example that I wouldn't consider a spoiler.  Fiddler and co. are crossing the ocean in book 2.  A sea serpent rises out of the ocean and threatens to attack them.  Turns out it's a soletaken(??), and it's going to kill them.  I'm thinking, here we go, battle for life, people saving people while defending themselves, blood and guts.  I'm thinking I'm finally going to see what everyone sees in this author, right.  What happens then is Fiddler pulls out a bow and arrow that has explosives attached and blows up the serpent, and everyone moves on like nothing happened.  And I've struggled to pick this book up ever since that scene.  Why would you be surprised to be attacked by a serpent if you were prepared to defend yourself against the serpent?  The scene kind of seemed pointless, like it didn't need to be there. 

Does the author move past these things that I'm complaining about?  Or does the entire series consist of 100s of characters with little to no description, who all come back from the dead, in the right place, with the right equipment at the right time, to kill the enemy with one shot so they can go finish their cup of tea?

Also, If I do decide to continue reading the series are the prequels part of the overall plot or can I skip them, or at the very least read them at a later date?

37
Books / Re: A business question about publishing…
« on: February 20, 2009, 03:00:43 PM »
Thanks for responding!  I find books on business and economics to be very interesting, so I have a couple more questions if you don't mind answering them...

OK.  Ookla this question is mainly directed at you because I've read that your an editor.  I have read in several places that an editor is the difference between a good book and a great book.  What exactly does an editor do?  How closely do you work with the author?  Do you have any input in the overall plot?  I apologize if these questions seem overly simple, but I'm a Chef not an editor or an author, and a curious one at that.

A Memory of Light aside, if your just a average author who generally decides if a book is to be split?  Is it the publisher, author or the editor, and how much influence do the bookstores have in the decision?

Final question.  I recently bought the Host for my niece for 40% off the cover price.  I assume the author gets paid whatever he signs for, but how does the rest of the sales get split up?  Does the publisher get paid a set amount for each book bought or do they take less money if the bookstore has to sell for less? Does the author get any bonuses if the book sells better than expected? 

Again, thanks for responding and I hope I didn't bore too many people with these questions...

38
Books / A business question about publishing…
« on: February 19, 2009, 03:20:00 PM »
I have read many reviews of different fantasy authors and many of them receive the same criticism when there series is longer than a trilogy.  From what I have read they all get bogged down and are full of filler, many times the author is accused of milking the series for more money. 

I’ve never believed that authors stretch their series to make more money because I don’t think writing bad novels is a good way of making money.  I think that in the long term it hurts their profitability because who’s going to start a new series from an author who’s going to give you tons of filler.
 
Let’s say an author outlines a series and a publisher buys a ten-book series.   What happens if the outline only gives you six books worth of material?  I don’t believe that authors want to write books full of filler, but they can hardly go back to their publisher and tell them their only getting six books, can they?  I mean that would be bad business wouldn’t it?

I was just wondering if this could be a reason why series tend to always get bigger and slower.  Those authors try to come up with new material for the final four books only to add to much material and over-shoot the projected ten book series.

I’m curious about what other peoples thoughts are…

39
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Forget sex. Let's talk romance.
« on: February 01, 2009, 11:01:08 PM »
I would've liked to have seen more conflict in their relationship.  It was there, I just think that it wasn't explored enough.  Basically there was two Cinderella stories here, you had the street urchin who fell in love with the prince, and you had the book worm who fell in love with the super hero.

I think it would have added depth to their relationship to see more push/pull.  Considering Vin's roots, the fact that she was abandoned, didn't feel comfortable in dresses or make-up, and seeing Elend surrounded by noble women who were comfortable in their skin, I would have liked to have read more, " I really like him/he'd never be happy with me" kind of doubt.  As far as Elend goes, Men in general want to be the bread winner, the knight in shining armor, the protector of their family, so it had to have been hard to have his girlfriend rescue him all the time.  Then with her hanging around mistings and mistborn had to have had him feeling somewhat emasculated.

Now the book touched base on a lot of this stuff, and some people have written that it was there we just weren't in their heads.  That's what I think was missing in their relationship.  I think that if we could've read more about that part of their relationship then the Zane sequence would have been more compelling to me.  Also in Hero of Ages when Vin said she had nothing else to live for after Elend died and then she sacrificed herself, that part surprised me.  That statement is a statement of deep love that I didn't feel was there.  I think that reading more of their doubts, insecurities and watching the relationship grow would've also made the ending that much more emotional.

On a side note I think that one of Sanderson's strengths is his ability to develop side characters.  As much as I enjoyed reading about Vin/Elend, I thought they kept getting overshadowed by other characters.  In the first book it was Kelsier, who was the first fantasy character I read who was an adult, optimistic, had a plan for everything, he became my favorite character in the fantasy genre.  In WoA, it was Zane he was just really mysterious. who was he, was he good or bad, was he insane or not, what does he really want with Vin.  I was disappointed in how abruptly he got killed off.  In HoA it was Spook.  I almost found him more interesting that Kelsier.  In all those three characters were mysterious oddities that I enjoyed reading.

40
I personally don't pay to close attention to statistics because they can easily be obscured to show what a particular party wants to prove.  NASA is probably the most prominent example I can make.  NASA has been busted several times changing numbers to "prove" that the Earth is warming since the '90s.  I live in Minnesota and I assure you that we've been getting colder not warmer.  Our snow fall has been increasing every year, our sub zero temps have been increasing every year, and our '80-90 degree days during summer have also been decreasing every year.  We used to get a lot of freezing rain and freezing fog about 7-8 years ago, and now it's too cold for freezing rain and fog.  My point isn't to start a conversation on global warming, just to suggest not to rely to heavily on statistics.

As far as premarital sex goes, my views aren't quite as black and white  as others.  If two people are dating and are in love and have sex, I do not see that as being immoral.  If two people hook up at the bar and have a one night stand I don't see that as being immoral as long as both understand what the other is looking for.  My problem is when one side of the party lies or manipulates to get sex, or cheats on their wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend.  Even then I wouldn't attach the immoral label because it's such a strong word and shouldn't be thrown around too casually.  Though I would say that it says something about that persons character who would cheat.

My problem with premarital sex is this: people who want gratuitous premarital sex with no strings attached often leads to pregnant women who want no strings attached.  Lets be honest, a solid foundation for a family generally isn't begun with a one night stand, or consuming one to many alcoholic beverages the night before.  So even if the woman decides not to have an abortion,, the chances of her and the father making a happy home for one another and the child is a stretch.  Not saying that it can't happen, but most likely it won't.

This is where I attach the immoral label.

Abortion has become more and more immoral over my lifetime.  It used to be that it wasn't a baby just a cell mass.  Now we have the technology where a baby can be born 4-5 months premature and can survive.  It now isn't a baby until it's born.  This is when partial birth abortion hit the main stream, and was banned by the Bush Administration.  That ban was lifted by the Obama Administration.  There is many ways to abort a baby, but partial birth abortion is just that they give partial birth to the baby....er large cell mass with fingers and toes.  They then ram a large needle in the base of the skull of the baby, but the baby only squirms around for a little bit because the next step is to suck the brains out of the infant. 

Nothing cruel and unusual about that!  Actually think about that next time you read about a convicted rapist/murderer standing before a court of peers surrounded by lawyers arguing against the death penalty.

However, abortion doesn't stop there.  It's like a baby in a way, it keeps getting growing and getting larger.  There was a bill that was thankfully didn't pass not once but twice.  That bill would refuse medical attention to a baby that survived an abortion.  So now you have a baby born, no longer connected to the mothers body, no longer putting the mothers life at risk, needing medical attention, and still it's not going to be seen as a baby yet.  That bill did not pass, but the person who voted for it twice is now President of the United States.

I'm Pro-Life not only because of my religious beliefs, but also because of my beliefs of the founding principles of this great country.  I believe that regardless of race or sex we are all created equally.  I believe that we have three inalienable rights, three rights given to us by God that no person or government  has the right to take away.  They are the rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.  We have all had the opportunity to be a small cell mass, we've all had the opportunity to roll around in our Mother's stomach, and we all have had the opportunity to enter into the light of day.  That is the true purpose of sex.  That is why I believe that marriage is one man one woman.  That is why I believe marital sex is so important...

41
Brandon Sanderson / Re: Mistborn questions about possibilites
« on: January 26, 2009, 02:17:48 PM »
Here's another question, if they enhance their hearing can they hear other people burning metal in their bodies?  Kind of like how when a person is hungry their stomach rumbles.  Also if they could hear others burning metals could they tell which metal their burning since metals have different melting points???

42
Brandon Sanderson / Re: A Memory of Light
« on: January 26, 2009, 02:11:46 PM »
To Shaggy:

Its also quite possible that the Horn of Valerie is a red herring (we must remember it played no role at the end of the AOL) and will not have a significant role in AMOL at all.   RJ is said to have intended to have left certain subplots  unresolved in AMOL.  Moreover, we know he had intended to write an outrigger novel based 10 years after Tarmon Goidon centered on Mat and Tuon in which the Horn of Valeire could have played a part.

That could be, that would make an interesting outrigger, but I don't think so.  The horn is supposed to bring the heroes from the AOL's back to battle the DO. RJ was pretty good about setting up characters and other events.  How many books had one or two sentences about Logain before he became a part of the story?  I think the Horn of Valere is the same way.  I think he talked about it just enough, so that when he goes back to it we'll remember the importance of it. 

I think that since this series was originally supposed to be a six book series(??), and the role that the horn played in the first couple of books, and that he knew from the get go how the series would end, I think the horn definitely plays a part.  On top of that it'll probably be the pivotal point in the battle.

I'm wondering if Jain Farstrider has a role in the final book or not?  So far it doesn't seem like he even belongs in the story.  Here's what it says about him in the glossary.

Quote
A hero of the northern lands who journeyed to many lands and had many adventures; the author of many books, as well as being the subject of books and stories.  He vanished in 981 NE, after returning from a trip into the Great Blight which some said had taken him all the way to Shayol Ghul.

He could be a red herring, however, lets say he's not.  What's his purpose?  There is a group of nomads cruising around looking for a song, I forget the groups name, I think that perhaps the song is tied to Jain Farstrider, and maybe even the Horn of Valere.

Another possibility could be, and I don't know where 981 NE fits into a time line, but maybe he got changed into an Ogre while at Shayul Ghul.  Maybe that is where the Ogre population originated from?

Anyone else have any thoughts about this or anything else?

43
For me I was glad to read a book that didn't have sex scenes in it.  I think that fantasy is about exploring a strange new world, meeting different characters of different races, good versus evil, and other stuff like that.  It's kind of refreshing to come across a writer who concentrates on telling a good story, without feeling the need to add a sex scene here, and there.

As far as sexuality goes, I felt that there was something missing in the relationship between Vin and Elend.  Obviously there are people who'll disagree with me, but it didn't feel like this was a girlfriend/boyfriend or husband/wife relationship to me.  It felt more like two best friends or at best brother/sister, so when I'd come across a scene  of affection it seemed odd to me.  Is sexuality the part that is missing?  I don't know maybe I just needed more scenes of affection for this relationship to feel real.

For the record, sexuality doesn't have to be:

Quote
"would you look at that booty, I'd like to . . . "

If you watch sitcoms or comedians from the '70s, they were very good about talking about sex without actually talking about sex.  They just skillfully danced around the subject, and everyone knew what they were talking about.  Johnny Carson was a master at this! 

I never would've  mentioned any of this because I think the series as a whole was a home run, as far as what I'm looking for in a fantasy novel.  However, since it was here I thought I'd voice my opinion.  Every book of Brandon Sanderson's that I have read has been better than the last one, so I see no reason why he won't keep getting better. 

44
Brandon Sanderson / Re: A Memory of Light
« on: January 17, 2009, 01:19:55 PM »
All this talk about the pattern makes my head hurt!!

Why doesn't the Creator just step in...?  Here's a real world answer.  I wish I could remember the book that I read this statement in, so I could reference it and quote it more correctly.  However, I don't remember so I'll do the best I can.

We live such short lives that we have a hard time understanding long distances of time, like a million years ago 5 million years ago....  So if you condense the history of the world into a 24 hour period, then the entire history of the human race, from the first person until right now, would be the last 2 seconds of the day.  The entire recorded history of the human race would be the last 1/10th of a second of the day...  Think about how many times in those last "two seconds", how many people asked, where's god, prove it to me, save me, help me, blah, blah, blah...  If he answered every prayer, saved every person, there would be miracles happening 24/7 every place you would look.  God would be our circus monkey, and we would be his spoiled children...

There, now I hope your head hurts! ;D

Anyways, back to the WOT, I wonder if we'll ever see the Creator or not.
 

Fain was a faithful hound, I'm assuming he'll have another role but I think that his biggest was to cut Rand with the Dagger. It'd be funny if he fell into the "hole" where the DO is with the choden'kal (forgive my spelling) or some other powerful sa'angrael :P. I don't think that Saidin and Saidar will be bridged because this has happened before, probably countless amounts of times, and that hasn't happened. Rand lives on because of the vision Min has of him with a beggars cane, unless this will happen before the ending I'll stick with the bodyswap idea that I've grown more fond of :D
Quote

I'm going to entertain the body swap for a second, and ask this question.  I remember reading how odd it was to have three taveren living in the same village.  They were friends also, that would be considered off too, but I don't think that was mentioned in the book.  Is there anyway possible that Rand, Perrin, and Mat are all the same person from different eras??  They can all sense what the other two are doing, and Rand has said that he can pull them back to him whenever he needs to. 

So Rand and Perrin die during battle, and Mat blows the horn.  Rand, Perrin, and Mat would become one person.  All of Mat's memories would be his own, and his blank spots in his memory would be because he was split into three people.  Mat/Rand/Perrin would then battle the DO as one person.  He would have his Luck, be able to Channel, and his senses would be heightened w/ yellow eyes, and he'd be able to talk to the wolves.

OK, I know I'm on the ledge for this one, and I definitely wouldn't bet even a nickel that this theory is right.  However, it was fun to think about!!

45
Brandon Sanderson / Re: A Memory of Light
« on: January 16, 2009, 02:16:45 PM »
I agree partly with what you said, but I don't agree with the One Power being gone from the world.  RJ had plans to revisit the world and write other trilogies, so I don't think that he would've planned that for the ending.

Quote
Furthermore, Rand will want to prevent the DO from tainting the power again. It's my guess that he will use the power in combination with Nynaeve (or someone else, just to make sure we've got both halves of the power) to seal the DO.

I think that instead of Nynaeve it would be Egwene because in the beginning of the series there was a prophecy about those to being connected but not how they thought they would be.

I have often wondered where Padan Fain fits into this series he was one of the first bad guys introduced in the series, and reappears every so often.  I think that Rands battle will take place on two levels, physical and spiritual.  I think that the DO will possess Padan Fain and battle Rand, where Lews Therin finally takes control of Rand.  Fain kills Rand.  Rands three woman will stand over and morn Rand.  Fain starts killing everyone except Mat and maybe a few others.

I know that the ending to the Great Hunt contradicts what I'll be predicting next, but I think that it is still possible in some way...All is lost the DO has won... Mat for what ever reason finds the Horn of Valere blows it and resurrects all the dead characters... We then find out that the dead are actually the heroes from the Age of Legends.  Rand stikes down Fain and their battle continues on a spiritual realm. 

Rand is able to bridge the gap between Saidar and Saidin and gives that ability to others fighting.  Now the DO and Rand are equals unable to beat one another, so Rand forces the DO back into his prison where he is also locked up too.  This would change the wheel and the pattern because now instead of just the DO, you have both good and bad working in equal unison.  This would be  the Breaking of the World that was prophesied.  Saidin and Saidar would actually strengthen now becoming as strong as back in the Age of Legends.

I know there are a lot of holes in this, but I think something similar will happen...


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